Chapter XVII.

That Christ is very God is proved from the fact that He
is God’s own Son, also from His having been begotten and having
come forth from God, and further, from the unity of will and operation
subsisting in Father and Son. The witness of the apostles and of
the centurion—which St. Ambrose sets over against the Arian
teaching—is adduced, together with that of Isaiah and St.
John.

108. Hence it is
that Christ is not only God, but very God indeed—very God of very
God, insomuch that He Himself is the Truth.18581858 S. John xiv. 6. If, then, we enquire His Name,
it is “the Truth;” if we seek to know His natural rank and
dignity, He is so truly the very Son of God, that He is indeed
God’s own Son; as it is written, “Who spared not His
own Son, but gave Him up for our sakes,”18591859Rom. viii. 32. gave Him up, that is, so far as the
flesh was concerned. That He is God’s own Son declares His
Godhead; that He is very God shows that He is God’s own Son; His
pitifulness is the earnest of His submission, His sacrifice, of our
salvation.

109. Lest, however, men should wrest the
Scripture, that “God gave Him up,” the Apostle himself has
said in another place,18601860Gal. i. 3, 4. “Peace
from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for
our sins;” and again:18611861Eph. v. 2.
“Even as Christ hath loved us, and given Himself for
us.” If, then, He both was given up by the Father, and gave
Himself up of His own accord, it is plain that the working and the will
of Father and Son is one.

110. If, then, we enquire into His natural
pre-eminence, we find it to consist in being begotten. To deny
that the Son of God is begotten [of God] is to deny that He is
God’s own Son, and to deny Christ to be God’s own
Son is to class Him with the rest of mankind, as no more a Son than any
of the rest. If, however, we enquire into the distinctive
property of His generation, it is this, that He came forth from
God. For whilst, in our experience, to come out implies something
already existent, and that which is said to come out seems to proceed
forth from hidden and inward places, we, though it be presented but in
short passages, observe the peculiar attribute of the Divine
Generation, that the Son doth not seem to have come forth out of any
place, but as God from God, a Son from a Father, nor to have had a
beginning in the course of time, having come forth from the Father by
being born, as He Himself Who was born said: “I came forth
from the mouth of the Most High.”18621862Ecclus. xxiv. 3.

111. But if the Arians acknowledge not the
Son’s nature, if they believe not the Scriptures, let them at
least believe the mighty works. To whom doth the Father say,
“Let us make man?”18631863Gen. i. 26. save to Him Whom He knew to be His
true Son? In Whom, save in one who was true, could He recognize
His Image? The son by adoption is not the same as the true Son;
nor would the Son say, “I and the Father are one,”18641864 S. John x. 30. if He, being Himself not true, were
measuring Himself with One Who is true. The Father, therefore,
says, “Let us make.” He Who spake is true; can He,
then, Who made be not true? Shall the honour rendered to Him Who
speaks be withheld from Him Who makes?

112. But how, unless the Father knew Him to
be His true Son, should He commend to Him His will, for perfect
co-operation, and His works, for perfect bringing in out in
actuality? Seeing that the Son worketh the works which the Father
doeth, and that the Son quickens whom He will,18651865 S. John v. 19, 21. as it is written, He is then equal in
power and free in respect of His will. And thus is the Unity
maintained, forasmuch as God’s power consists in that the Godhead
is proper to each Person, and freedom lies not in any difference, but
in unity of will.

113. The apostles, being storm-tossed in the
sea, as soon as they saw the waters leaping up round their Lord’s
feet, and beheld His fearless footsteps on the water, as He walked amid
the raging waves of the sea, and the ship, which was beaten upon by the
waves, had rest as soon as Christ entered it, and they saw the waves
and the winds obeying Him,—then, though as yet they did not
believe in their hearts they believed Him to be God’s true Son,
saying, “Truly Thou art the Son of God.”18661866 S. Matt. xiv. 33.

114. To the same effect the confession of
the centurion, and others who were with him, when the foundations of
the world were shaken at the Lord’s Passion,—and this,
heretic, thou deniest! The centurion said, “Truly this was
the Son of God.”18671867 S. Matt. xxvii. 54.
“Was” said the centurion—“Was not”
says the Arian. The centurion, then, with bloodstained hands, but
devout mind,
220declares both
the truth and the eternity of Christ’s generation; and thou, O
heretic, deniest its truth, and makest it matter of time! Would
that thou hadst imbued thy hands rather than thy soul! But thou,
unclean even of hand, and murderous of intent, seekest Christ’s
death, so far as in thee lies, seeing that thou thinkest of Him as mean
and weak; nay, and this is a worse sin, thou, albeit the Godhead can
feel no wound, still wouldst do thy diligence to slay in Christ, not
His Body, but His Glory.

115. We cannot then doubt that He is very God,
Whose true Godhead even executioners believed in and devils
confessed. Their testimony we require not now, but it is withal
greater than your blasphemies. We have called them in to witness,
to put you to the blush, whilst we have also cited the oracles of God,
to the end that you should believe.

116. The Lord proclaimeth by the mouth of
Isaiah: “In the mouth of them that serve Me shall a new
name be called upon, which shall be blessed over all the earth, and
they shall bless the true God, and they who swear upon earth shall
swear by the true God.”18681868Is. lxv. 16. These
words, I say, Isaiah spake when he saw God’s Glory, and thus in
the Gospel it is plainly said that he saw the Glory of Christ and spoke
of Him.18691869 S. John xii. 41.

117. But hear again what John the Evangelist
hath written in his Epistle, saying: “We know that the Son
of God hath appeared, and hath given us discernment, to know the
Father, and to be in His true Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. He is
very God, and Life Eternal.”187018701 John v. 20. John
calls Him true Son of God and very God. If, then, He be very God,
He is surely uncreate, without spot of lying or deceit, having in
Himself no confusion, nor unlikeness to His Father.